The separate and combined effects of covert and overt rehearsal in developing assertive behavior

The present investigation evaluated the separate and combined effects of covert modeling and overt rehearsal as a means of developing assertive behavior. Nonassertive clients (n = 66) received one of three treatments: covert modeling, overt rehearsal and covert modeling-overt rehearsal combined. A delayed-treatment group was included in the design to serve as a no-treatment control condition before clients were reassigned randomly to one of the three treatments. Treatments led to significant improvements on self-report and behavioral measures of assertiveness and self-efficacy. Although covert and overt rehearsal treatments were equally effective, the combined procedure led to significantly greater improvements which were evident at posttreatment and at an 8-month follow-up assessment. Treatment effects generalized to novel role-play situations and brought clients to the level of other persons who regarded themselves as adept in social situations requiring assertive behavior.     

Illusory conjunctions in the perception of objects

In perceiving objects we may synthesize conjunctions of separable features by directing attention serially to each item in turn (A. Treisman and G. Gelade, Cognitive Psychology, 1980, 12, 97–136). This feature-integration theory predicts that when attention is diverted or overloaded, features may be wrongly recombined, giving rise to “illusory conjunctions.” The present paper confirms that illusory conjunctions are frequently experienced among unattended stimuli varying in color and shape, and that they occur also with size and solidity (outlined versus filled-in shapes). They are shown both in verbal recall and in simultaneous and successive matching tasks, making it unlikely that they depend on verbal labeling or on memory failure. They occur as often between stimuli differing on many features as between more similar stimuli, and spatial separation has little effect on their frequency. Each feature seems to be coded as an independent entity and to migrate, when attention is diverted, with few constraints from the other features of its source or destination.     

Reading and listening comprehension in Broca's aphasia: Lexical versus syntactical errors

Ten agrammatic Broca's aphasics were presented with a series of four picture plates together with a spoken or written sentence stimulus. All sentence stimuli were of the structure, the + N + is/are + V + ing + the + N. The four pictures on each stimulus plate represented (a) the correct response, (b) a reversal of the stimulus sentence subject and object, (c) a change in the number of the subject of the stimulus sentence, and (d) a change in one of the major lexical items of the stimulus sentence. Subjects selected the correct picture most often. When they erred, they usually selected a subject-object reversal. Number errors were less frequent, and the patients seldom selected a change in major lexical item. This pattern occurred with both written and spoken sentences. These results were interpreted as reflecting the dependence of agrammatic Broca's aphasics on the semantic interpretation of the lexicon for decoding sentences in the face of deficits in syntactical-grammatical interpretation, irrespective of comprehension modality.     

When does perceived lightness depend on perceived spatial arrangement?

Experiments have recently been reported in which a decisive change in perceived lightness was produced by a change in perceived spatial position, with no important change in the retinal image. A number of previous studies had found little or no such effect. Experiments of the kind that produced these effects and of the kind that do not produce these effects are presented here. The main differences between these two kinds of experiments are discussed. One difference is whether the display allows the target to be part of one ratio in one spatial position but another in the other spatial position. Another difference concerns the range of luminances within the display. Also discussed are the implications of these findings for cognitive vs. S-R theories, the order of processing depth and lightness, laboratory data vs. experience, the role of lateral inhibition in lightness perception, and theories of lightness perception in general.     

A simple inexpensive computer-controlled tone generator

A simple circuit for a keyed tone generator is described. The total construction cost is less than $5. Various adaptations and modifications of the circuit are discussed.